Category: Where Travel Meets God

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God Rebuilds on Top of the Ruins

This photo shows stone ruins, with an upward angle showing a blue sky.

Jeremiah 30:18 (NIV)—“This is what the Lord says: “‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings;the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.’”

I love visiting ruins, standing between four incomplete walls and looking up to see blue sky. Ruins tell a tale of the past, what once was. The bones of ancient churches sit abandoned in the countryside. Concrete gazebos covered in vines stand in the middle of forests. Castles crumble beside lakes and oceans. The remains of these structures signal an end.

For God’s people, ruins came with a promise of a new beginning. In Jeremiah, God promised the rebuilding of Jerusalem on top of the ruins. The ruins became the foundation for the new city where the people would sing songs of thanksgiving and rejoice, and where the people would receive honor and respect. The ruins promised a final restoration in God’s Kingdom.

I am privileged to serve a God who rebuilds on the ruins rather than leaves them to the forces of nature. He stabilizes the bones of the structure. He strips away the vines and overgrowth from walls. He sweeps away the crumbling pieces. He builds a stronger and more beautiful future on top of the past.

This photo shows the ruins of an old church with fields and trees in the background.
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Basking in the Warmth of Prioritizing God

This photo shows a sunset over the ocean with a tree in the foreground. One branch of the trunk forms a C-shaped curve around the setting sun.

Haggai 1:7–8 (ESV)—Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.

I have a confession: When I’m on vacation, I often forget to pray, to study my Bible, or to read a devotional. I pack devotional books or plan to read my Bible as soon as I wake up…but the ocean calls, the tour leaves at a specific time, or wildlife snatches my attention, and I promise myself I’ll do it later. Later never materializes.

Even in a time of rest, it’s important that we make God a priority. Building up the Lord’s house is a full-time job with glorious benefits. God takes pleasure when we include him in our travels. He wants to join us on our journeys. But more so, he wants us to remember to put him first, to honor him. He doesn’t want our excuses; he wants us to experience his greatest blessings—and we experience his greatest blessings when we prioritize our relationship with him.

So…new plan for vacation: put my well-meaning thoughts into action and bask in the warmth of knowing I prioritized God (perhaps while basking in the sun on a white sand beach). I pray you do the same in a destination of your choosing!

This photo shows a sunset over the ocean with rays light bursting from behind a cloud.
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Spiritual Refreshment and Travel

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
A generous person will prosper;
    whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25 (ESV)
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
    and one who waters will himself be watered.

Proverbs 11:25 (NKJV)
The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself.

When I think about refreshment in relation to vacation, I picture myself soaking up the sun while lounging on the beach, frozen fruit-flavored mocktail in hand and audiobook playing in my ears. Or I ponder collapsing at the peak of a mountain hiking trail and soaking in the view, knowing I completed the three-mile hike and survived, and now I needed to rest before the trek down.

I think everyone needs this type of refreshment. For me, the beach offers the ultimate in relaxation and hiking gives a sense of accomplishment.

But, I admit, I am guilty of forgetting to refresh my spirit while traipsing around new places. The views claim my attention. The yummy donuts and ice cream beckon me. The museums and sites fill my brain with information that I promptly forget after the vacation ends.

So how do I, as a traveler, refresh my spirit while on an adventure? Devotionals, Bible reading, and prayer, yes. Another answer lies in Proverbs 11:25. It is in the moment at the beachside bar when I have an opportunity to bless another and refresh my spirit.

Did I treat the staff with respect? Did I say please and thank you? Did I give a generous tip? Did I act in a godly manner, a manner that may bless another and, in turn, refresh my spirit?

Perhaps my kindness lifted the worker’s spirit after an encounter of the not-so-nice kind. Maybe my tip helped the worker to pay their grocery bill. Possibly my review, later in the day, on a website, earned a worker a raise or a promotion.

I may never know the blessing I bestow on another. And that’s okay. Yet, when I travel, I have to act with intention in my words and actions toward others. In this way, I partake in spiritual refreshment.

All that said, I close with this (slightly silly) analogy: Like a fruity mocktail satisfies physical thirst, a positive review, a kind word, a generous tip, an upbeat attitude quenches spiritual thirst.

This photo shows a beach chair sitting in the sand, under a palapa.
This photo shows the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, from the top of a mountain hiking trail. The sky is blue with a few clouds and there are mountains in the distance. The town is nestled in a valley.
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Rejoicing in Every Travel Moment, Mishaps and All

Redwood trees with ferns at the base and the verse Philippians 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Read: Philippians 1–4

While on vacation, we have every reason to rejoice. God has provided us time away to rest and relax from the normal rhythms of life.

Yet even on vacation we experience pitfalls. The rain pours down during our entire beach trip. Our tours get canceled because not enough people signed up. The hotel doesn’t live up to the reviews. The taxi takes longer than expected to show up and we arrive late to a concert.

Our feelings become a tangled mess of sadness, annoyance, anger, and maybe another emotion or two. At least mine do, at times.

For travelers, the book of Philippians offers an example of rejoicing in every moment. Paul rejoices in his hardship and encourages the Philippians to rejoice with him. If Paul can rejoice even in the face of danger, surely we can rejoice when our travel plans go awry.

Deep-down contentment lies in Christ, not in the sites we see and the restaurants we eat at. Yes, these events can provide pleasure, and if they do, we can rejoice! But that’s not always the case, and rejoicing in these moments can snuff out those unpleasant feelings.

For my past travels, I rejoice in swimming safely to shore after an unexpected dousing in the river, in spending time with my uncle, and in having a (now funny) story to tell. I rejoice in watching a baseball game and an unplanned overnight stay, after a bird roosted in the plane’s engine and caused a flight delay. I rejoice for the helpful bus driver who directed us to the beach.

What travel moment do you rejoice in?

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Praying for Abounding Love: Thoughts for Travelers

Philippians 1:9–11 (ESV)—And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul’s prayer about love speaks to my traveler’s heart. While exploring the world, we have a chance to reflect God’s love, and it’s important for us to pray for more love. More love for the flight crew when our plane gets delayed. More love for the hotel workers when our room is not ready at the scheduled time. More love for when the weather doesn’t cooperate. More love for when service at a restaurant takes longer than expected. More love for the tour company that cancels our outing. More love for our travel partners. More love for ourselves.

More love! There’s never such a thing as too much love. Before you embark on your next adventure, pray for abounding love.

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Generosity on Vacation: It’s About Attitude and Heart

Read 2 Corinthians 9

If Paul were to write a letter to travelers about generosity and tipping, I think he’d reiterate some of the same points he did to the Corinthians. He’d tell travelers to prepare in advance to give tips. He’d say tipping is an act to be done not out of obligation but with a willing heart. He’d point out that the amount travelers give does not matter as long as it comes from a heart that wants to give. He’d say travelers who give with a willing heart fulfill the material needs of others while fulfilling their own spiritual needs. He’d tell travelers that giving with a generous spirit gives other people a reason to thank God.

Whether we’re giving to the church or giving to someone else, generosity goes beyond giving—it’s about attitude and heart. Our ability to give and our willingness to give both come from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). As such, our travels deserve the same preparation that we give to other areas of our lives.

Generosity begins with spiritual preparation. Prayer brings our focus to God. The same as we ask a blessing before a meal, we need to ask for God’s blessing on our vacation. We can pray for those who will receive the tips and for the impact of the tips and ask God to prepare our hearts to give.

Generosity also requires material preparation. A budget helps us to stay within our God-given blessings. It eliminates the element of surprise, allowing our hearts to gain a spirit of generosity. We can prepare envelopes of tips for housekeeping, room service, and others who deliver services but do not charge us directly. We can also budget extra for those instances we receive exceptional service.

Before your next vacation, read and meditate on 2 Corinthians 9. What does God say to you about generosity? What do you need to do to prepare yourself to give with a willing heart?

Another Generous Act—Beyond a material tip, we have the opportunity to bless others through words. Give a shout-out to a particularly helpful person on a review website, describe the great service on a company’s survey, or tell management of the person’s hard work.

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As Far as the East Is From the West: A Train Adventure

The train rumbled along a stretch of track heading north from Fargo to Grand Forks, North Dakota. The overhead lights were turned down low and the train car quiet. My husband and I were headed to Montana for a mission trip sponsored by our church.

My eyes fell shut, but after endless shifting to find a comfortable position, I could not fall back asleep. The coach seats and my tall frame didn’t afford me the luxury of more sleep.

(The silver lining: Train seats afford much more legroom than airplane seats, so at least I wasn’t shoved into a tiny space, knees crunched to my chest!)

So, at last, at four in the morning, I stared out the window and saw flashes of lightning on the horizon. I decided to escape to the lounge care.

My only obstacle: passing by my sleeping husband without waking him. Did I crawl under or over his legs? Either way I risked jarring him awake. Over his legs seemed the more dangerous option because I could easily (and probably would) tumble over (or kick or elbow) him, so I crawled into the aisle (without jarring him!) and walked to the lounge car with its wide windows and scenic views.

To the east, the sunrise painted a blaze of red across the horizon. To the west, lightning flashed and dark clouds brewed.

That day, I witnessed two spectacular displays of nature, both created by God. This scene makes me think of Psalm 103:12:

As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

—Psalm 103:12 (ESV)
Dark clouds meeting a sunrise